Arthur Jackson
Sphere (Little, Brown)
26 April 2012 / ISBN 9780751547924
Non-Fiction/Autobiography
1950s, English Countryside
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Reviewed
by Rachel A Hyde
Recently qualified Arthur Jackson is a GP with a wife, four young
children and a rambling manor house that has seen better days. He
tends to the diverse needs of his patients, as well as breeding
ducks and geese, coping with the demands of his rash purchase, and
trying to get out of debt
I wasn-t sure what to expect from this book. I'm not normally a
fan of anything medical or autobiographies but have a weakness for
nostalgia and after having read the description on the back was
prepared for anything. What I got was something of a treat; here
is an author who has the ability to tell a good yarn and make just
about anything sound interesting. From anecdotes about his student
days to the mishaps of owning a vast property that appears to be
falling down, there is always something going on. There is a cast
of colorful characters and their various ailments, accidents or
other reasons for knowing Dr Jackson and even a couple of ghosts.
It isn't all cozy either, but the grimmer aspects of the medical
profession are kept to a minimum and the tone is mostly light. My
own favorite part of this varied book was the author's fascinating
description of duck breeding, wisely keeping in all the parts the
how-to books don't tell you. He manages to make it sound realistically
interesting without getting too bogged down in the details and never
romanticises it. I would say that this goes for everything in the
book.
I hope he makes this a series.
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